Here’s the thing most people still miss about the Steam Deck—and I’m saying this as someone who’s been yelling about it since forever—is that for decades, the PC had countless exclusive games that never set foot on a console. No ports, no Nintendo love, no Sony handshake—nothing.
And trust me, I begged. Pleaded. Lit prayer candles. Still nothing.
Then along came the Steam Deck, Valve’s magic handheld that finally turned PC gaming into something I could carry around without feeling like a dork dragging my laptop onto a city bus. Suddenly, all these brilliant PC-only classics felt like they’d always been console games—only better.
So, here are 10 games that console gamers never got their hands on, until the Steam Deck made dreams come true:
1. Blood. The nastiest corner of the Build Engine Holy Trinity—alongside Duke Nukem and Shadow Warrior. It’s gory, hilarious, and way smarter than it ever got credit for. Still holds up, especially with a gamepad.
2. Septerra Core. PC’s underrated response to Final Fantasy VII. A JRPG-styled epic, crafted by Western devs who knew how to nail the vibe. It deserved controller support years ago—now it finally feels at home.
3. Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold. Imagine Wolfenstein 3D in space, add aliens and vending machines that heal you, and you’ve got Blake Stone. Campy, colourful, and always overlooked—perfect for handheld fun.
4. Jazz Jackrabbit 2. Epic’s fast, snarky response to Sonic. It somehow managed to outdo Sega at their own game, and it’s criminal it never left PC—until now.
5. Super Fighter. DOS Street Fighter 2 was trash, but this Taiwanese indie fighter landed a clean KO instead. Fast, fluid, and shockingly addictive—a perfect fit for thumbstick abuse.
6. The Witcher (2007). Yep, Geralt’s gruff first adventure never landed on console. Plans were cancelled, dreams shattered. But now? The Deck’s got you covered.
7. Divine Divinity. The name is ridiculous, but the game? Undeniably one of the best action-RPGs ever made. A mashup of Diablo-style combat and Ultima-style worldbuilding that somehow works. Never saw a console port.
8. Ghost Master. Haunt houses, traumatize homeowners, and delight in their terrified screams. Think The Sims, except you’re the one causing trauma. A joy on handheld.
9. Flight of the Amazon Queen. Adventure gaming at its pixel-perfect finest. Indiana Jones-style puzzles, lush visuals, and humour that aged surprisingly well. Built for a comfy couch or commute.
10. Spark the Electric Jester 3. A new-school 3D platformer that beats Sonic at his own speed game. Tight level design, dazzling speed, and didn’t arrive on consoles—until the Deck gave it the spotlight it deserves.
Bottom line: Steam Deck didn’t just make PC gaming portable—it gave these gems a proper handheld life. It brought decades of overlooked, underplayed brilliance out of the desktop dungeon and into the light.
But the Steam Deck isn’t a console? And a game running through a compatibility layer isn’t a port.
A Linux laptop with a controller instead of a keyboard isn’t a console. Thats similar to the Atari VCS, which isnt a console either, just a Linux PC that comes with controllers. Both can run unmodified or barely modified Linux software, which a game console would require ports of.
I mean, if that logic held up, then the Xbox wouldn’t count as a console either—because it literally runs a customized version of Windows under the hood. It boots into a UI shell, but it’s still Windows at the core, running DirectX just like a PC.
By that same standard, the PlayStation wouldn’t be a console either, since it’s running a customized BSD-based OS that can support a lot of traditional software frameworks.
The idea that a console must run completely proprietary software or require deep code rewrites for every game is just outdated. These days, the distinction is more about the delivery method and user experience than the underlying OS. Steam Deck boots into a curated interface, runs games with gamepad-first optimization, and delivers a console-like experience out of the box. Whether it’s using Proton or not doesn’t change that—it’s still targeting the exact use case of a console: plug in, pick a game, play.
So if the Xbox qualifies despite being a glorified Windows PC with a gamepad and a skin, then so does the Steam Deck. You don’t get to move the goalposts just because it runs Linux.
You cannot take a full unmodified Windows program and directly run it on the Xbox, even in Developer Mode. You have to make changes to the software for the Xbox to run it. Xbox runs a modified version of Windows, but it cannot run software built for the full unmodified version of Windows. I have no experience with developing for PlayStation, but I imagine it is the same, it probably does not run unmodified BSD software. Likewise, Nintendo software needs to be modified in order to run on Nintendo console operating systems. The Switch cannot run unmodified Android software, unless you hack it to install unmodified Android onto the console.
But you CAN take a full unmodified Linux program and directly run it on the Steam Deck, without needing to modify the software at all. Same with the Atari VCS.
Goalposts were not moved. The Steam Deck is a Linux laptop with a controller attached to it, its not a game console.
The claim that the Steam Deck runs unmodified Linux software “out of the box” glosses over a lot of caveats.
Sure, it’s possible—but only if the software is compatible with SteamOS’s Arch-based flavor of Linux, its dependencies, and its sandboxing. And to even attempt that, you have to exit Gaming Mode entirely and boot into Desktop Mode. From there, you’re dealing with a mouse-and-keyboard interface, and many apps require terminal commands, sudo access, or specific library versions to even launch. That’s not something you casually do with a game controller from your couch.
More importantly, I reject this narrow definition that “console” must mean a closed, locked-down system incapable of running general-purpose software. That might describe a traditional console, but it’s not a requirement. Plenty of recognized consoles have been open or hackable: the Ouya ran Android. The Miyoo Mini running OnionOS is basically a retro Linux handheld, yet it’s absolutely treated as a console by its user base. A Raspberry Pi running Batocera, plugged into a TV with a controller, is a console experience. Even the Nintendo DS, when booting homebrew off a flashcart, operates in the same way.
What actually defines a console isn’t the OS or whether it can run unmodified desktop software. It’s the user experience: you turn it on, pick a game, play with a controller, and everything revolves around gaming. The Steam Deck nails that. You don’t need to know it runs Linux. You don’t have to touch Desktop Mode. For the average user, it’s as much a console as a Switch or Xbox—just with a lot more flexibility if you go looking for it.
Septerra Core and Divine Divinity were both really good.
Local game streaming has had games on the TV for years before the Deck.
And trust me, I begged. Pleaded. Lit prayer candles.
Why would you do that?
LOL.
Still not ported to a console. SteamDeck gives you a console-like experience, but it is not a console
The Steam Deck brings about a conversation about what a console is. To me, it’s something that plugs into the TV and doesn’t require KBM, and in that regard it very much is.
The key ingredient that separates PC from console is you can deploy code custom optimized for the fixed platform hardware. This is why you have to go up a tier in GPU to have an experience on par with what a console would have because it’s running generisized code.
Where did you find that information?
30+ years of studying game and software development lol
So you made it up.
And you’re clearly a troll. Goodbye
Ah yes, the classic “everyone who disagrees with me is a troll”
Think The Sims, except you’re the one causing trauma.
Even without the Steam Deck, Steam Input allows basically any PC game to be playable on controller (or like, literally anything else).
I feel like it’s one of the more slept-on features of Steam.
Though yeah, it’s true that they’ve probably put more work into the feature because of how well it integrates with the Deck…
I’m very confused… Before the steamdeck Alienware made steam boxes. We’re they good, meh. Would they sell like hot cakes today? Absolutely.
But calling a handheld PC a console is just weird. Nothing stops anyone from building a compact PC and just plugging it in to a tv… You could also just run steam os on it if you wanted to.
The Steamdeck is as much of a PC as a PlayStation. As in yes they’re both PCs but specifically built for gaming. If you want to use them for other stuff you can but it’s not what most people buy them for. One runs BSD and the other Linux but the OS doesn’t determine what is and isn’t a PC. Your phone is a PC too. It’s an umbrella term.
To me, what makes a console a console is the console experience. As in, you should be able to navigate everything with a gamepad.
Yes. You can do that on PC. You can have steam run at startup andaunch straight into that one other mode it has. Or install steam os or bazzite etc. You don’t need a mouse and keyboard for a PC
Yes, you can do all that. Hence why I refer to Steam Deck as a consolized PC.
That said, the console experience on Windows 11 is subpar. Bazzite and SteamOS are far superior in this regard.
So a pc
No, not all PCs offer a consoles experience.
Yeah sorry, you also have to have the brain capacity to install steam
So, did they actually get ports to non-PC consoles, or did console-form-factor PCs just become more prevalent?
They were “ported” to the Steam Deck. A Linux laptop. Which can run essentially any Windows software.
With a built in game pad. And saying a game is SteamDeck supported means it supports SteamInput which means it supports the gamepad natively.
Is the Steam Deck a console?
It’s a consolized PC.
Like, it has a console? Like a command line?
It has that too. 😜
But what I mean is that Steam Deck offers a console-like experience.
I could use one of those to play some Commander Keen
Yep, I’ve played Commander Keen on Steam Deck. It’s really good.
Perhaps One Must Fall 2097
Holy shit - Septerra Core. That is a name I haven’t heard in a looong time. Glad to see it still exists
Sir, there’s something wrong here. I spent 20 years believing I was the only person who ever played Septerra Core, and it’s too long to change my mind now.
I played it too.
I haven’t heard Septerra Core in a long time.
I had to import it from the US when I was a kid and I’m pretty sure I still have the cd install somewhere in storage.
I still have the CD in a box somewhere. It was loaned to me by a friend and I never gave it back. Hilariously, I still see that friend, so that might make for a fun conversation.
I got the game from some magazine, in a time I didn’t have many choices for games. I didn’t speak much English yet at the time so I had trouble getting past some stuff and didn’t get very far. I even named my first dog after the robot dog in the game.
I picked it up on steam a few years ago and tried it again. I think I got much farther than I had back in the day, but still didn’t finish it. I think I might try it again on deck now.
Same, and now this is the second mention of it I’ve seen on lemmy in two weeks. I got it for like $5 in a combo pack with a terrible mech game in the bargain bin in Walmart probably 20+ years ago. Never beat it, but the vibes are top notch and I replay it every few years. Still have the disks and all.
Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 are both on consoles.
https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0346-CUSA15671_00-BGANDBGIICONSOLE/
“Enhanced Edition”.
But okay, I’m swapping that out for Divine Divinity. Similar style of game, but just as influential.
Even just the RTS games that never came out. Northgard is great on the deck!
I made a control scheme for StarCraft. Worked surprisingly well. At least for single player.
Of course that one had a Nintendo 64 release.
Oh my goodness, someone else who played ghost master! What a quirky awesome game! I wasn’t aware it was PC exclusive, because who the hell consideres PC to be “exclusivity”
